The governments of Tunisia and Algeria sought yesterday to stem growing unrest over food prices that has sparked riots in which at least ten people have been killed over the past three weeks.
After four days of youth protests, Algeria moved to cut the cost of staple foods yesterday. But in Tunisia, President Ben Ali’s police adopted harsh tactics, shooting dead at least two and wounding eight in one outbreak of youth rioting.
Tunisian police used firearms against rioters in the town of Thala, 125 miles southwest of the capital and near the Algerian border in the most deadly single incident since the unrest began. The victims were between 17 and 30 years old.
The Interior Ministry said that rioters had ignored warning shots in